


The Wedding

by teej_318



Series: Promptober 2019 [6]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: But they're minor fights, Byeler wedding, Divorced Wheeler parents, F/M, Fights about weddings, Happy Ending, Internalized Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Mike and Will get married, Overbearing Parents, Supportive Karen Wheeler, Ted Wheeler is an asshole, The Party performs music for Mike and Will you can't change my mind, Wedding, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler, gay wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-31 05:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21088322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: Request from Tumblr: I really want Byler wedding fics and there are hardly any at all. I’m sad.It's almost time for Mike and Will's wedding and there's still plenty to do, including figuring out if Ted will attend the wedding and what flowers will be used at the wedding.





	The Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> Several elements are borrowed from The Foster's episode "I Do." Credit to the writers and producers of that show for those elements.

Karen grimaced as she looked around the kitchen of her former home. It was clear that Ted had not tried to change anything about their home since the divorce. It looked like it was straight out of the 80s with floral wallpaper that still covered the wall of the kitchen.

"I can't believe you kept this wallpaper," Karen said.

"You picked it out," Ted said as he pulled a drink out of the fridge.

"In 1982," Karen replied, exasperated. "And I was wearing Holly Hobbie dresses and scrunch socks with high tops. And I had that amazing big hair that I don't care to ever repeat in this lifetime."

Karen brushed her short hair with her hand for a moment. She smirked to herself as she thought of the irony of her having the "Can I speak to your manager?" haircut while being named Karen. 

"Did you hear about Kim and Daryl?" Karen asked as she continued to look around the kitchen and a million memories of her former life flashed through her mind. "She's having an affair with her stepson. Isn't that the most fucked up thing you've ever heard of?"

"Hey, language!" Ted groaned.

"Oh, give me a break, Ted, it's not like we're married any more. Besides, I'm not a child." 

"Speaking of crazy, did you know Joyce is performing the wedding ceremony?"

Mike and Will's wedding was that Saturday. Karen had flown in from her home in Florida in order to help the boys get ready for their big day. She hoped the boys didn't mind her visiting Ted at his home, but she had a good reason for being there.

"She got ordained online or something," Karen explained. "Church of the Three Stooges, I think."

Ted chuckled.

"Can you imagine if they had that in our day? We wouldn't have had to go Vegas!"

Karen smiled as she saw Ted letting his guard down. Now was the time.

"It doesn't matter who does it, it's going to be a lovely afternoon," Karen said. "A beautiful October day with a forecast of lots of sunshine and no wind, it'll be perfect for them. The kids are so excited. They're happy you're coming. You are coming, aren't you?

"I'm just assuming so since it's your only son's wedding that you will be there, right?"

Ted sighed before he responded.

"You know, I can't believe that I'm saying this, but Karen, you got something to say, then say it."

"Fine," Karen said, deciding to drop all pleasantries and staring directly into Ted's eyes. "You need to let go of whatever's preventing you from RSVPing to your son's wedding. God, politics, I don't care. Unless you want to risk losing him forever, like you almost did when he came out might I remind you, then you need to get over yourself and put on a nice shirt and haul your saggy ass to that wedding on Saturday."

Karen turned around, picking up her purse from the dining table and stomped over to the sliding door. She opened it roughly and hurried outside, slamming it behind her with satisfaction. 

* * *

Mike walked into the kitchen of his and Will's house. Will was going over minor details for the wedding, which was just two days away now.

"Look who I found: Reverend and Mr. Hopper!" Mike declared, waving his hand and gesturing behind him as Joyce and Jim followed him into the kitchen.

"Mom! Papa Hop!" Will exclaimed, standing up and rushing to his parents and hugging them. "Oh, the ministry looks good on you, Mom!"

"Thanks, it cost me 29.99," Joyce replied slyly, causing everyone to laugh. 

"Oh yes," Jim said. "Hello, son," he said as he hugged Will. "Oh, you look tired."

"It's good to see you, too," Will replied, not quite sure how to respond to Jim's comment.

"Who needs a glass of wine?" Mike asked, hurrying over to the cabinet to get some glasses.

"Me, please!" Joyce exclaimed.

"Me, too," said Jim. "Your mother was, unsurprisingly, doing a little backseat driving on the way from the airport." 

"I was not," Joyce said with an air of defensiveness, though she was smiling. "I was doing passenger seat driving!"

Everyone chuckled as Karen walked into the kitchen carrying several bags.

"I'm back!" Karen announced. Then, she spotted Jim and Joyce. "Oh, look who's here! It's so good to see you both!"

Karen awkwardly hugged Jim and Joyce, a difficult task with the large bags she was carrying. She set them down and started pulling things out of them.

"What took you so long?" Mike asked as he poured glasses of wine for everyone. "I thought you were just going to the grocery store."

"Well, I decided I'd stop by the mall to see if I could find myself a little something special for the wedding. I also stopped by your father's. That got sorted out. He will be at the wedding." 

Mike grimaced slightly at this revelation.

"That's great. Thanks, Mom," he said in a heavy voice. 

"Oh, boy! Wine, yum!" Karen said, spotting the glass of wine Mike had in his hands.

Mike sighed to himself, using a lot of effort to refrain from rolling his eyes. He handed the glass to Karen, who started to drink from it, and Will handed Mike a fresh glass. Mike took a swig from it.

"Well, I think you two have too much on your plates," Joyce said. "And you simply must let Karen and me pitch in."

"Yes, that would give us something to do. And you guys could just sit back and relax," said Karen, giving the boys a smile.

Mike and Will both chuckled as they exchanged a look.

"Yeah, that's unlikely to happen, the relaxing part," Will said.

There was an awkward silence where Karen and Joyce stared at the boys, both of them looking affronted. 

"But if you and Karen would like to take care of the flowers and the decorations, that would be great," Will said hurriedly.

Mike stared up at Will with a confused expression and Will raised his eyebrows at him. Mike relented and gave Will a brief nod.

Karen and Joyce glanced at each other.

"Great," they both said happily.

* * *

"Hey, how's it going?" Mike asked as he walked into the kitchen, carrying a load of laundry. Karen and Joyce were sitting on the bar with several magazines opened underneath them and they appeared to be having a heated discussion.

"Just great..." Karen said, trying to make sure the peace was kept.

"Perfect, terrific," Joyce said with an air of sarcasm. "I think I'll take a little break." 

Joyce stood up and left the kitchen.

"I think you should have your husband-to-be talk a little sense into his mother," Karen said once Joyce was out of earshot. 

"Mom..." Mike said.

"Mike," Karen said, putting up her hand to signal him to stop. "Joyce, who's a lovely woman, has, and I mean this in the best possible way, somewhat questionable taste. And so we therefore now find ourselves at an impasse regarding the flowers."

"Mom, it's flowers," Mike said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "How bad can it be?"

"Daisies. She wants daisies. Multicolored daisies. So, no honey, it's not that bad if you don't mind having a clown wedding."

"OK, Mom, let's just take a breath. There's no need to be so judgmental."

"I'm not being judgmental," Karen snapped. "I am trying to give you a beautiful day."

"And I appreciate that."

"I don't think you do!"

"Mom, I didn't..."

"Well, your gratitude is overwhelming!" Karen said as she stood up angrily and stomped out of the kitchen. 

Mike sighed to himself and tried to calm himself down. He decided to go and hide out in the bedroom with Will for a few minutes. He hurried up the stairs and saw Joyce walking out of his and Will's room, looking aggravated. Mike walked into the bedroom, where Will was lying on the bed, his arms covering his face. Mike plopped down next to Will.

"It's not just me, right? They're crazy!" Will exclaimed.

"No, it's not just you," Mike replied with a grin.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you for not being crazy," Mike said. "All this fuss just over a stupid wedding!"

Mike fell down on the bed and covered his face as well. Will sat up, glaring at Mike, who didn't seem to notice Will had moved.

"Is there a reason you insist on referring it to as a 'stupid wedding?'" 

Mike uncovered his face, suddenly looking remorseful as he sat up.

"No, it's just..." Mike started before Will interrupted him.

"Because ever since you proposed to me, you've been cracks about how 'dumb' it is, and how 'silly' some of these traditions are. Don't do me any favors. If you don't want to get married, let's just not. Let's just not get married."

Will got up from the bed and stomped out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him and leaving Mike with an expression of shock etched onto his face. 

* * *

"Thank god, I thought it was your mother again," Ted said with a visible look of relief on his face. 

"No, it's just me," Mike replied, chuckling slightly as he walked into his childhood home. 

"Come on in. Have a seat. You want a sandwich?"

"No, no, I'm good," Mike said as Ted closed the sliding door. 

"So, why are you here? I already told your mother I was coming tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know that. I think Mom forced your hand on that and that's not what I..."

"Well, don't blame your mother. She can't help herself," Ted said as he continued to make the sandwich he was ready to eat. 

Mike watched Ted silently for a moment before he spoke again. 

"I've been really embarrassed about this wedding," Mike said. "I haven't been able to enjoy one single solitary second of it. This voice in my head keeps telling me it's not right, what we're doing. Two men standing up in front of friends and family promising to love each other forever. That's wrong.

"How screwed up is that?" Mike asked as he started to cry. "I'm embarrassed by my own wedding. How is that even possible? I love Will with all of my heart. I love him more than I have loved anything ever in my life. How can I even be the slightest bit uncomfortable putting that out in the world to see?"

Mike impatiently wiped away some tears. 

"And I realized that voice, that voice is not mine. It's yours, Dad. It's yours and I'm done. I'm done listening to it. And I don't want that voice at my wedding, Dad. I don't want it there. And I don't...I don't want you there."

Ted's face remained unfazed even as Mike said all of this. 

"There shouldn't be anyone there who is not 100 percent happy to be there. So, if you can't get behind this wedding and I mean really, really behind it, Dad....then I don't think you should come and that's..."

Mike and Ted simply stared at each other in an awkward silence for several seconds before Mike turned around and went through the sliding door again. 

* * *

Mike walked into the bedroom. Will was lying on the bed reading a book and did not acknowledge Mike walking into the room. Mike knelt down beside Will, who was still focused on his book.

"I'm sorry, baby," Mike said in the gentle voice that was always reserved for Will. 

Will sighed deeply but kept looking at his book, no longer reading it.

"And of course I want to marry you. I'd be crazy not to."

Will threw the book to the side as he reached out for Mike. Mike threw himself into Will's embrace and they rolled over onto the bed together, holding each other in a tight hug and giggling loudly. Will eventually pinned Mike to the bed and kissed him.

"Well, if you're gonna go crazy, how about I go crazy with you?" Will asked.

"That sounds amazing," Mike replied with a smile as he leaned closer to Will and kissed him deeply again.

* * *

Will took a deep breath as he stood at the end of the aisle, waiting to walk down it. Joyce and Jim stood on either side of him, linking arms.

"Deep breaths, baby, deep breaths," Joyce whispered into his ear.

Will nodded and followed her advice, taking several deep breaths before the music started. The three of them walked down the aisle together, pausing only for Jonathan to get a picture of them before they reached the altar. Will gave Joyce a kiss on the cheek as she took her place at the altar while Jim sat down. Will turned to see El and Dustin walking down the aisle after them.

El and Dustin smiled at Will. when they reached the aisle. Will and Dustin gave each other a hug while El kissed Will on the cheek as they both took their places. Next came Lucas and Max, who were smiling widely at Will. They gave him a hug and took their places at the altar. 

Just as the song started to end, Mike appeared at the end of the aisle with Karen and Nancy. Will could feel his breath fade away for a moment when he got a full look at Mike, and his face blossomed into a smile. Mike smiled back at him and looked as if tears were starting to form in his eyes.

The Wheelers reached the aisle and let their arms off of each other. Karen gave Mike a kiss on the forehead before she hugged Will and stepped back to sit down in the seat reserved for her. Nancy gave both of the boys a hug as well before she sat down next to Jonathan, who was still clicking photos of the boys. Will took Mike's hand in his own and pulled him closer.

"You look stunning," Will whispered. Mike smiled back at him.

"So do you," he said.

Finally, the song ended and the backyard went silent. Will and Mike turned to face Joyce, who was beaming at them.

"We're all gathered here today, from from and wide and nearby," said Joyce. "We are here to witness the vows that Will and Mike will share with each other. Besides the differing opinions on who asked whom to go out on their first date..."

"I did," said Mike triumphantly.

"I'm pretty sure it was a mutual choice," said Will, grinning.

Everyone around them laughed.

"Besides this minor discrepancy," Joyce continued, "we are here to support you, and wish you all of the joy and happiness that true love brings. I found a poem that I think summarizes, not only marriage, but also family," What my family has been to me, and...hopefully what your family will be to you one day.

"But not too soon because I'm not ready to be a grandma yet."

Will and Mike chuckled appreciatively as Joyce looked proud of her joke.

"'Love isn't perfect.'" Joyce read. "'It isn't a fairy tale or a storybook. And it doesn't always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles and facing challenges. Love is fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go. It is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without. Love is work. But most of all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, every second of it was worth it. Because you did it together.'"

"Now, the members of The Party would like to perform a little song for Will and Mike," Joyce said, stepping back while Dustin, El, Max and Lucas walked over to the side of the altar. Lucas picked up his guitar while Max sat down at the piano. Dustin and El stood next to each other, holding microphones in their hands.

El and Dustin nodded at Max and Lucas, who started to play the music that intro'd "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You."

Soon, Dustin broke in with lyrics.

"_ Moon so bright, night so fine, keep your heart here with mine. Life's a dream; we are dreaming _."

Next, El sang.

"_ Race the moon, catch the wind, ride the night to the end. Seize the day, stand up for the light _."

Dustin and El then sang the chorus together.

"_ I want to spend my lifetime loving you, if that is all in life I ever do _."

"_ Heroes rise, heroes fall, rise again, with it all _,” Dustin sang

"_ In your heart, can't your feel the glory. Through our joy, through our pain, we can move worlds again. Take my hand, dance with me _,” El sang.

"_ Dance with me _," Dustin echoed before they both sang the chorus again.

"_ I want to spend my lifetime loving you. If that is all in life I ever do. I will want nothing else to see me through, if I can spend my lifetime loving you. _"

The music continued instrumentally for the next several seconds before Dustin broke in with the bridge.

"_ Though we know, we will never come again, where there is love _..."

"_ Life begins, over and over again _ ," Dustin and El sang together. "S _ ave the night, save the day. Save the love, come what may. Love is worth everything we pay _."

"_ I want to spend my lifetime loving you, if that is all in life I ever do _.

"_ I want to spend my lifetime loving you, if that is all in life I ever do. I will want nothing else to see me through, if I can spend my lifetime loving you _."

"_ Loving you, _" Dustin echoed as the music slowly came to an end. 

Once the music stopped, everyone cheered loudly for the group and they took a small vow.

"We love you, Mike and Will!" Lucas yelled.

"Yeah, it's about damn time you're tying the knot!" Max added.

"We're so happy for you!" El said.

"We love you guys!" yelled Dustin.

The Party returned to their spots on the altar and Joyce stepped forward again.

"And now, we will hear the vows that Will and Mike have written for each other, starting with Will."

Will let go of Mike's hand and pulled out Mike's ring from his pocket. He held up Mike's hand again as he spoke.

"When I was a little boy, I heard stories about falling in love. I never quite believed in them because I didn't think every person in the world had someone out there for them. That was until I fell in love with you, Mike. You came into my life so early on, and you were so full of life that I fell in love with you instantly. That little boy inside me realized there was someone there for me, and that someone was you. You're a piece of work, Michael Wheeler. But you're my piece of work. I accept you. Every single thing that makes you who you are, from now until the end of time. I love you."

"And now we'll hear from Mike," said Joyce.

Mike pulled out Will's ring and placed it onto Will's hand as he spoke.

"Well, I'm not quite as eloquent, but I'll give it a shot anyway,” Mike said. Everyone laughed for a moment before he continued on. "Will, years ago I made a promise to you that we would go crazy together. I'm so glad that we've kept that promise, and that we get to keep it for the rest of our lives. You're the person I had been waiting for all my life, whether I knew it or not. And I am so proud to be standing up here in front of our friends and family to make sure they know just how lucky I feel to have found you, Will...and just how much I love you."

Mike started to cry as he finished speaking his vows. Will smiled back at him, fresh tears forming in his eyes. Finally, they turned back to Joyce, who was both wiping away tears.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think it's high time somebody kissed somebody around here, don't you?" said Joyce, causing everyone to laugh again.

Will and Mike chuckled before they simultaneously wrapped their arms around each other and pulled in for a kiss. Everyone around them cheered loudly for them, but none were as loud as Dustin, El, Max and Lucas who seemed like they were trying to outdo one another. Finally, Will and Mike broke the kiss and smiled at each other as the cheering died down.

"I am now proud to declare Will and Mike bonded for life!" Joyce said, causing everyone to cheer again. "Please join us for dinner and the reception in just a few moments!"

* * *

Mike and Will stood on the dance floor, smiling as they watched Lucas and Max dance and hold each other. Will glanced over at Mike during a slower moment in the song and saw a tear in Mike's eyes.

"I'm sorry he didn't come," Will said just loud enough for Mike to hear him. 

"Me, too," Mike replied. "For him. I'm sorry for him." 

Will smiled at Mike.

"You are so amazing, you know?" he said. "The way you talked to your father like that and stood up for us, it just shows me just how much you love me."

"I always have, Willie," Mike said. "It just took me a long time to realize it." 

Will grinned as he leaned forward and kissed Mike deeply. Mike held Will tightly and smiled into the kiss, feeling happier than he ever had in his entire life.

"Crazy together forever, Mikey," Will said when he broke the kiss.

"Crazy together forever, Willie." 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this Byeler wedding fic! Thanks to my friend  
[@willthecleric](http://willthecleric.tumblr.com) on Tumblr for wanting a Byeler wedding fic. This one is for you!
> 
> I put this story in Promptober because I imagine Mike and Will getting married during October, which is Byeler month, after all! If you have ideas for more October themed Byeler or Reddie fics, let me know on here or on my Tumblr account
> 
> Come yell at/follow me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)
> 
> You can also follow me [on Twitter](http://twitter.com/_tj_rigg) but just know that I'm super political on there, so don't follow me if you don't like politics.


End file.
